UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian
Sandra Laville
Friday 30 September 2016
What does the resignation of the lead counsel to the child abuse inquiry mean?
Few doubt that departure of Ben Emmerson QC, who for the last two years has been lead counsel to the national child abuse inquiry, is anything other than a damaging blow to its operations. The inquiry emerged from the shockwaves of the Jimmy Savile revelations, which exposed for the first time how an abuser could operate in plain sight within institutions from the National Health Service to the BBC.
Since its inception in July 2014 as the brainchild of then home secretary Theresa May, the inquiry has had Emmerson at its core. But his departure is unlikely to bring it crashing down. Politically, too much rests on making sure it continues, particularly as May was so personally involved in setting it up in the first place. May has also faced down opportunities to turn her back on the inquiry and see it closed in the past; particularly after the first major debacle, when it was redrawn and given statutory footing, following the departure of two chairwomen.
What is going on behind the scenes?
That is not completely clear. Emmerson, it seemed, wanted to resign as he felt unable to carry out the work under the new chair, Alexis Jay, who is reviewing the inquiry’s procedures. He attempted to resign on Wednesday, but was suspended late in the evening over “recent concerns” about his leadership. Twenty-four hours later, however, Jay allowed him to resign and thanked him for all his work. Whatever is going on behind closed doors, the image is of an inquiry riven by divisions, which are now spilling out in public. Several survivors’ and victims’ groups have expressed grave concerns about what looks like chaos at the heart of the inquiry.
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